slanted P pup on Mike Lull P5

I recently purchased a Mike Lull P5 with the optional J pickup, and it's a superb bass and I'm loving it. It's been getting extensive use this last few weeks, and I've noticed that the B string isn't quite as loud as I might like it to be. The P pup on the B/E side is slanted downwards on the B end, like most P style pups, and I'm wondering if I can just raise it a little (so it sits closer to the string) to make the B string a little louder. I'm looking to improve the string balance, but I wouldn't want to do it if it'll negatively impact the clarity (ie mudiness would be a bad thing). Are there any tradeoffs I need to be aware of in this regard?

I had the same type of issue going on with my MV-5. The B in volume was less than the E, so I raised the height of the pick-ups a bit, and it helped some, but didn't totally fix the problem. Do you have the Fralin p-ups by chance, because that is what I have? I had another Lull with Baslines that did not have this problem.

Nonsqtr,
Glad to hear you're still loving your P5. I have another one arriving within the next 7-10 days or so and am really looking forward to having one around again....until someone else springs for it! If you're looking for a bit more volume from your B, you should be able to raise the pickup slightly (most P pickups are slanted this way to prevent the lower strings from becoming boomy and overpowering the D and G). A small shift in height should improve volume a bit without making things too boomy or muddy. There's a happy balance there, ya' know. Also, Fralin does not make a 5-string P-pickup. All Lull P5s have the custom Duncan pickup.

One of the advantages of the P-pup's split-coil design is that just such an adjustment can be made. On a four-string, you can adjust pickup height for each string... can't be done on most other pups. With a five string P, there's gonna be one string you can't adjust individually, but 4 out of 5 ain't bad.

Thanks guys, I did the adjustment yesterday and so far so good. One of the things that really impresses me about this bass is the clarity of the B, it's not overpoweringly loud but it is distinct. I was just looking for a little more "oomph" without changing the sound. Had to take the pickguard off to make the adjustment, for some reason the screw on the pickup was binding to the plastic and I didn't want to force it out of there. It seems to have improved, so let's see what it sounds like over the next week or two.

Nonsqtr,
Glad to hear you're still loving your P5. I have another one arriving within the next 7-10 days or so and am really looking forward to having one around again....until someone else springs for it! If you're looking for a bit more volume from your B, you should be able to raise the pickup slightly (most P pickups are slanted this way to prevent the lower strings from becoming boomy and overpowering the D and G). A small shift in height should improve volume a bit without making things too boomy or muddy. There's a happy balance there, ya' know. Also, Fralin does not make a 5-string P-pickup. All Lull P5s have the custom Duncan pickup.

Click to expand...

JPJ...

Can you tell me more about that custom pickup? I am looking for a replacement 5 string P-Bass pickup for my Pedulla Rapture. I am looking at the Bart 58S because it should be deeper than the custom wound that Pedulla has installed in it. Is this something that Mike Lull would sell?

Hey Scott,
The Duncan P that is used in the Lull P5 is a vintage sounding pickup. I've really been impressed with it in the P5s that have passed through my way, and I hear from Lull P5 owners who are also really impressed with how much this pickup delivers that raw, snarly grind of a P-bass in a 5-string format. If you give the guys at Guitar Works a call, I'm sure they could hook you up with the pickup. I hope I was able to answer your question.